Baker Mayfield made his NFL debut this past Thursday, and things could not have gone much better. Following an injury to Tyrod Taylor, Mayfield went in, led a drive for Cleveland’s first points of the game, and eventually did what he had to do to help the Browns win their first game since 2016. In all, Mayfield went 17-for-23 with 201 passing yards and caught a two-point conversion in the 21-17 win.
It seemed like a matter of time that Mayfield would get named the team’s starting signal caller, both because of the concussion suffered by Taylor and the way the former Heisman Trophy winner provided a spark under center. On Monday, the news became official, as Hue Jackson announced that Mayfield is Cleveland’s QB1 going forward.
#Browns coach Hue Jackson: "I informed the group this morning that we're going to start Baker Mayfield and Tyrod will be the backup if healthy."
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 24, 2018
The Browns also announced the news on their Twitter account.
.@bakermayfield has been named our starting QB 🎯 pic.twitter.com/xqn17Df15j
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 24, 2018
Getting named the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns isn’t always the best piece of news, as the franchise has a history of trotting out a new starter only for them to fall flat on their face. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft is not phased by this, though, as Mayfield believes the team’s past won’t be a concern moving forward.
Mayfield on becoming the 30th Browns starting QB since 1999: “It’s 2018. Don’t really care.”
— Andrew Gribble (@Andrew_Gribble) September 24, 2018
For a follow up to his first act, Mayfield and the Browns will travel to Oakland to take on the 0-3 Raiders on Sunday.
